PSE’s Will Jenkins Some Great Memories

Sharing bowhunting is something that is really important to me and our heritage. Like mentioned in my previous posts I got into hunting because of the tradition of gun hunting in my family. That was often done with dogs and it made for an exciting hunt but it wasn’t nearly as exciting to me as watching deer that weren’t as pressured as they are during shotgun season. So to me, at least in Virginia, sharing bowhunting is about sharing time with friends and family while introducing them to, often times, a style of hunting entirely different from what they are used to.

One of my best friends growing up was my buddy Anthony. We never hunted together growing up although we did both hunt at the time. Of course after high school we lost touch and only talked or caught up sporadically, he spent time in Iraq and upon returning we got back in touch and were both highly interested in bowhunting. I had just started and he had done it as a kid but not for about 10 years. Bowhunting was our new common ground. We’d gone our separate ways, started families in different states but bowhunting is our new common ground that helped refuel our friendship. Last year was the first time we hunted together and made some great memories. Heck, neither of us even killed anything but we had a blast and made a lot of memories!

PSE’s Will Jenkins’ Little One

Another way of sharing is with my son, Mason. He’s five now and will be 6 in January. He just got his first bow. He was ecstatic then but has somewhat lost interest in shooting mainly because it’s difficult and he’d rather hit stuff with sticks and ask lots of questions while I shoot, then help me pull the arrows. He also likes to throw in his own little comments and jabs when make a bad shot! But that time including him is great. We recently spent a day, a very hot day, walking the road through one of the properties I hunt, trimming back branches and checking stands. He had a blast just being outside and while it wasn’t my most efficient day we had a lot of fun just being in the woods together with no TV’s, computers or video games to distract us.

I’ve also recently met a couple of people who as adults have started hunting. I’m taking it as a personal mission to make sure they at least try bowhunting. Which, of course can be difficult with the expense involved but I’ve found it to be so much more rewarding and. hopefully I can share it with them. However, whatever they do is fine with me as long as it’s legal and it adds a new member to the hunting community!

While recent statistics have shown a mild increase in hunter numbers, we still need to recruit new ones. Sharing your hunting time with someone, while it may decrease your own success is one of the best things you can do as a hunter. Take a kid, friend, relative or coworker hunting. It’s a blast sharing it!

Will Jenkins is creator of TheWilltoHunt.com and Harnesses For Hunters. He’s an avid outdoorsman who enjoys sharing his experiences through his blog. He also writes for Bow Adventures e-Magazine and is a member of the Professional Outdoor Media Association.

Will lives in Central Virginia with his wife and two kids. He hunts in Virginia and Maryland but has dreams of heading west to hunt Elk and Mule Deer.